God at Work

I go to Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows and yes...I admit I completely borrowed their logo for God at Work above. 
I started attending in late 2006 and never looked back.  A series of hard, traumatic circumstances drove me to seek the Lord and really find out where I really was in my faith.  To tell you the truth...I was a poor excuse for a Christian looking back at that time in my life.  The difficult circumstances were from a combination of my poor choices and "life happening" all at the same time.
I don't enjoy testimonies that glorify the wrong in the past, so suffice to say in a matter of 8 months time I had gone through a divorce, lost one brother to suicide and my father to lung complications, and was in a rebound relationship that I knew I needed to end.  I had nearly no friends, was living alone, and wanted to stop the world so I could get off!
I entered Harvest on a cold December day.  I instantly knew that this was where I should be...that God was going to use this church/these people to mend what was broken and what I had selfishly ripped apart.  The 1st person I connected with there invited me to her small group - and the Lord used those amazing women to start the healing process. 
Fast forward a few years and here we are - I'm married to an amazing, caring, godly man and have a beautiful daughter. We go to a couples small group now and couldn't ask for a better group of people. 

Life now isn't perfect...actually far from it.  The last 3 years have been chalked full of trials, consequences, and overall hard financial times.  Some are a result of bad decisions, some (I'm sure) trials allowed by God to refine us, and some...well...maybe just life happening.  All that to say - God has never let us down - not even one time. 
A close friend of mine said she believes God is trying to teach me (us) something and this is why these past 3 years have been so incredibly hard.  As hard as it is to admit...I tend to agree with her.  As I look back thus far I see us closer as a couple, better with our money, more reliant (not perfect) on the Lord for needs, and closer on a spiritual level.  This is just scratching the surface really...and merely things I can list off the top of my head.  God has given us a family away from our families in other states.  He's provided money when we least expected it and used various people in our lives to bless us beyond our wildest prayer.  He's brought friends in our lives when we needed it most - but perhaps were too proud to really ask.

This is my 1st blog in 2014 - I have put off writing it for 2 months because every time I started to type something...it just didn't seem "right."  This seems right.  I'm beginning my 2014 blog year by declaring that I trust the Lord in everything and I know where my provision and strength comes from.  I'm drawing a line in the sand...no more am I turning to fear and fret.  I see the Lord has grown me in this over the years and I know I'm not perfect but am increasing in victory.  I've never really been sure if "prayer reallyworks" in the past, but I can say without hesitation it DOES and it will become more and more a vital part of my weekly, if not daily routine. 
The last 3 years have been hard...but they would've been impossible without the Lord.  Impossible.  So now - as I embrace this new chapter in my life...as I look for God to provide my next job I'm NOT afraid, but excited and expectant.  He's been faithful before and will continue to be faithful  This year might be the hardest yet...but I will continue to seek Him...I strongly believe that He is teaching me how to not be shaken and to trust in His name.

Psalm 62:6-7
⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God;
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Thanksgiving 2013

Gobble gobble!

So I'm averaging about 1 blog post every two months or so.  Ya...I know pretty lame.  How am I ever going to catch everyone up?  Truth is, I really can't so I will start with the most recent event - Thanksgiving.
The day before Thanksgiving both Brian and I had to work so we got a pretty late start on our drive to MI.  We left the house a little after 6:30 and headed off to Lansing!  Claire entertained herself for a solid 30 minutes before getting too fussy then just kinda faded off to sleep without much trouble.  Answered prayer!  The trip was roughly four hours even though we came across some lake effect snow near St. Joseph.  We arrived at Grandma and Papa's around Midnight. 
Like usual we spent some time catching up, but before long we were all headed to bed to rest up before a big day of eating.
Claire decided that 6am was a great time to get up at Grandma's.  We went downstairs and played with all of grandma's fun toys and occupied ourselves until the rest of the family emerged from their beds. Grandma and Papa headed off to Mass and seemed to return before I knew it!  Soon after a few cousins showed up and the house was buzzing with activity.  The kids were playing, and the women were mapping out their strategy for Thanksgiving night shopping.  We discovered that all the deals we were interested in were happening that night! For the 1st Black Friday that I've been in MI -we did NOT get up at the freakin' crack of dawn.  I'm selfishly hoping this whole Thanksgiving night shopping thing continues!
Before long we were on our way to Mandy's where we ate until our tummies were well past content.  Turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole - YUM!  Oh and did I mention lobster bisque?!  Ya, Mandy does it up right when she hosts a party.  We ate like kings.

Photo op while I waited in line at Target!

Right around the time I wanted to doze off to sleep - the troops were preparing for the shopping trip.  Target at 6:30 (they opened at 8pm) and Kohls right after. 
Note to self.  In 2 years when you are ready to do this again - pack hand warmers and bring a hot chocolate to drink while waiting in line - oh and bring warmer shoes - fake Toms just won't work well!!!
As time ticked by the Target workers would come and go - handing out maps of the store and made sure to draw attention that we could easily save 5% on every purchase with our Red cards - if we didn't have a Red card they were ready and waiting to sign us up.
Overall - we were in and out of Target in 30 minutes!  Kohls too a little while longer - then some really committed shoppers went to the mall after that - I did not.  It was extremely productive!  I have 1 more gift to buy for Christmas and I'm done!
Friday Papa made us all Walleye from the fishing trip during the Spring - YUM!  Claire is a fish stick snob - will not eat them out of the box, but couldn't get enough of  Papa's fish!
The ride back was smooth - no complaints here!  What a wonderful way to celebrate the Holiday!

Next order of business - wrapping gifts!!

Papa reading a book to the kiddos

Nate getting the swirly he asked for!

Claire spent a lot of time on Papa's lap this trip!

Kid's table!

What a great family!

Move your feet - lose your seat...or is that really the rule?

Too long.

I haven't written in an incredibly long time.  It's actually been so long that I don't even know where to start.  I think I might just start where we are.  So, where are we? Be prepared...I'm feeling incredibly scattered right now and the following thoughts are going to show it!

We are still in our townhome.  We have been trying to sell it since July and so far we've had no luck.  The feeling is bittersweet because on one hand I want to get out of this house, but on the other I don't know exactly where we'd go at this point?  Brian has done SO much to this place and I really would love to share it on this blog, however that's just not going to happen right now. HA.

Let's see - what else?  This past weekend we had our good friends Stef and Dan and their little boy, Jake, in town.  It was just like old times!  We laughed, joked, and ate together.  I miss them so much.  I know it was incredibly stressful and crazy for them to move away, but I can't help but hope their time away is super brief and they're back before we even know it. 

We are on a new budget.  It has been incredibly difficult to watch our spending after a summer of spending.  I have become acquainted with Aldi - that's a whole new topic in and of itself.  I do most my shopping at Wal-mart and plan my meals for the week every Sunday.  We've done well the last 2 months and I'm looking forward to making more of an effort to save and plan ahead.  Somewhere along the line this year, we stopped thinking ahead and started living in the NOW!  Not wise. We are getting this corrected.

You know, I'm learning a lot.  These past couple months have been hard.  They have been hard financially, emotionally, professionally, honestly in just about every way I can think of and express.  As I get into the habit of writing again I will share with you some new things in my life and some things Brian and I have walked through together.

I must say that during this time God has been extremely close and I also consider myself incredibly fortunate to have the friends and family that I do. 

With that - I think I will call it a day.  I'll leave you with a couple pictures - my little sunshine is growing!!

 She just loves her bear!

 Visiting her friend Jasper - she discovered the biggest bear ever!

 NEW girly carseat! Yes - it is THAT PINK in real life!

NEW puffy vest!! She loves it!

Vacation!

I love vacation. Who doesn't, right? I was especially looking forward to this vacation because I get to spend time with my awesome family who I very seldom see...and miss dearly. What made the trip even more special was that Brian's parents were coming with us!

Our week started in Denver where we visited Garden of the gods and the New Belgium Brewery. The trip has been full of driving!! This has proven difficult with a 1 year old. Poor Claire has fallen subject to a diaper rash of the absolute worst kind. It's the hardest thing in the world to clean her after a dirty diaper because she just cries and cries because it hurts so much. Thankfully after a day of staying on top of Lotramine, A and D cream, and corn starch....I think we might have it to a manageable level. What a day!

Although we have had ups and downs, we are having a good time and are excited to continue our adventures in Chadron. We got here in the early evening after a grueling 6.5 to 7 hours on the road. Brian did such an awesome job getting us to Nebraska despite his exhaustion. During the last hour of our jour eh I honestly thought I couldn't entertain Claire for even 1 more minute...I just wanted to be out of the vehicle! Claire's cries and whines truly reflected how I felt!

When we pulled up to my grandmas house my heart swelled inside and the awfulness of the journey seemed to melt away as I said hello and hugged all my family members. Seeing my grandma was, as always, priceless. I love that we made it. It hasn't been a perfect trip so far, but we will make some good memories and hopefully grow closer as a family.

Tomorrow is the parade, buffalo burgers, and homemade ice cream!

At the pool with grandma Barb

A little hesitant at first

 

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Bad week, good reminder.

I recently came across a blog post that made me stop and think.  I'm usually a "glass half full" kind of person, but sometimes (like this week) it feels like my cup is no where near half empty.  Nothing epic has happend and everyone's health is good...it's just been a series of little things and overall exhaustion that has brought out the worst in me this week.

I don't often (if ever) post links to other blogs...mainly because I don't read them that often.  In this instance...I'm going to.  I don't follow this blog and don't intend on regularly checking it, but it certainly helped me get in the right frame of mind today.  So, thank you to those who are praying for me.  God is listening.  He's with me.

http://www.incourage.me/2013/05/how-everyone-can-be-an-optimist.html

100th Post!

I really have wanted to post more than I am, but honestly I'm also proud that I have kept this up for as long as I have.  I do love posting blogs and sometimes wish that I had more of a focus...but overall this blog works for me and my personality.  It's random, friendly, and it keeps you updated on the things going on with us...even though some posts are a full month apart!

We've decided to put our house up on the market!  We are SO excited.  I might be more excited than Brian because I probably have a lot less actual work to do than he does.  I must say that I am so impressed over and over by the work he does. I know his favorite part is the planning stage of things (followed closely by demolition), but he really does a great job on the things he does.  As time goes on I'm more and more comfortable with projects he dreams about on our NEXT house!  Haha.  Before even thinking about our next house we do need to get this one ready and we're guessing it will take a month...(so likely 2).  I will keep you posted!

In other news, Claire turned 11 months this week!  She just gets bigger and bigger!  I love it. I'm really anxious for her to walk.  Mostly because it will get us a lot closer to ending physical therapy.  I think she still has a couple more weeks to go, but she is so ready to get moving on her feet!  Love it!

I love that the weather is turning a corner, even though it's cold this weekend.  I love that the sun is still shining.  It's a beautiful looking Mother's Day and my amazing husband made me breakfast after church today.  We initially swung by Wildberries and it was a TWO hour wait!  I really hope we get to go there some day!

Ok, well I hear the hubbs going to town on the room upstairs so I'm gonna go help clear that room out!  He's laying floor tomorrow!

Pictures to follow...having trouble with uploading right now...
If you want updates every now and then - check this site out http://clairesshoebox.shutterfly.com/

9 and 10 months!

9 months old!

I'm ridiculously behind on my monthly photos!  Claire is growing and developing by leaps and bounds.  I feel like she went from barely able to sit up on her own to crawling overnight.

Ok maybe not THAT fast, but it does seem I discover she's learned something new nearly every week.  She is now very good at crawling and she pulls herself up on just about everything.  If she were taller she would definitely be climbing up on the couch all by herself.  She very interested in the world out there.  When she encounters something new she gets very quiet and almost studies it.  (this includes tasting it if possible)

She is 10 months old and wearing almost all 12 month clothing.  She has finally grown some hair, so hopefully won't be called a little boy anymore!  She's been fighting ear infections and a cold here and there, but overall I feel like we are nearing (hopefully) a "well" time.  I'm so thankful that her nose hasn't run in almost a week!

We did have to let her cry last night though.  How heartbreaking to hear your baby cry and not go and pick her up and snuggle her!  Brian and I concluded that in order to get her back on her sleep schedule (and not waking up every few hours at night) we needed to let her try and calm herself down.  Longest 30 minutes EVER! (ok maybe when I was in labor w/out pain meds at a point was actually the longest 30 minutes ever, but you know what I'm saying)  Brian and I laid in bed...just listening to her whine, cry, scream, and fuss.  Then...after 20 minute...silence.  Once Brian declared victory - and we were settling in...it started up again!!!  10 more minutes of the same.  Little stinker!  She did finally calm down and sleep until 3am, then 4am... then we got up at 7am.  The point is - we didn't get up and pick her up.  Hopefully this helps her get back on track!  We will see tonight.

Ok - well I will leave you with some fun pics!

look what I made at daycare! (with some help)

mom and her ridiculous ideas for an easter photo...

Claire's "easter basket"

Claire's Easter Sunday outfit

10 months old!

wearing Dad's "favorite outfit" when he was Claire's age/  We had fun dressing her up in it and calling her "sport" haha